Renewal
by Clewt
Summary: A very brief moment between Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes once Storm Shadow comes back to join the G.I.Joe, after they found out who had killed the Hard Master.


Note: Another school assignment sparked this.

They gave me a prompt and about two hours to write.

Prompt: Describe the renewal of a friendship.

This is what I came up with.

Hope you enjoy!

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Chilling rain poured in sheets over thick stone walls of the top-secret military base. Everything had been sealed up and buttoned down for the day. Since the weather reports had only promised an even worse storm on the way, all the officers and soldiers had relatively taken the day off and stayed inside. All but two.

Dual figures could be seen in what appeared to be a sparring match in one of the tall grassy fields. One clad in complete skin-tight black, flipped to the side to avoid his opponent's blade. He quickly responded with a swift upright cut, but it merely met rain. His opposition wore only white with a mask that did not sport the metal visor to cover his dark brown eyes.

Motion stopped, and both stood barely a foot away from each other in identical stances. Their eyes never broke contact. Both breathed heavily, while their swords were poised to strike.

Some would think Ninjas such as them to be overrated or ridiculous, but here, they were the few and respected. Tragedy had followed both however, leading to betrayal and mistrust. Only a few weeks ago, they would not have been able to speak without drawing the others blood. But now that the truth had been found out, things were slowly beginning to mend.

The rain lightened slightly, and sounded less like a waterfall. They were surrounded by the unique music of it pounding on tarps, metal, and concrete.

Both were soaked to the bone, but the cold and wet did not seem to bother either. Finally, the one clothed in white took the initiative. Leaping into action, he swiftly performed multiple attacks. His opponent halfheartedly blocked them, missing the last one. The blade stopped short, just across his left side.

Stormshadow pulled his sword back, a confused and slightly concerned look crossed what could be seen of his face. With his friends face concealed, he couldn't see anything to give a hint of his thoughts. His body language, however, spoke volumes.

He had his sword pointed to the ground, gripped tightly in his hand, and his shoulders were tense.

Finally, he sheathed his sword and brought his hand up to peel off the mask and visor. His slightly-longer-the-regulations blond hair was plastered to his head, and his bright blue eyes seemed distant.

"What troubles you, Snake Eyes?" The life long code name seemed to bring the mute out of his daze. His gaze darted to Stormshadow who had just put aside his sword and pulled back his own hood. Time slowed, and he realized this was the first time he had seen his counterparts face since the Helicopter crash that had not only taken his voice but much of his face as well. After numerous surgeries, only a few scars remained.

Snake Eyes took a heavy step forward, unsure of what he should do. His gloved hands rose, as if to say something, but instead, one fell back to his side. The other rose to meet the side of Stormshadows face before sliding down to give his shoulder a gentle squeeze. The action spoke for him.

With a small smile, Stormshadow echoed the movement, then pulled the man into a tight embrace. Snake Eyes wrapped an arm around him and laid his head on his shoulder. Closing his eyes, he let out a small sigh.

"I missed you too, Brother." The words came out as a comforting whisper.

A single hot tear ran down Snake Eyes pail face before disappearing into the rain soaked cloth.

Thunder rolled across the sky and the rain began to pour in heavy waves. Stormshadow pulled away to pick up his sword.

"I believe that's our cue to turn in." Snake eyes could hear the amusement in his friends voice even in the storm. With a silent chuckle, Snake Eyes swung an arm around his companion's shoulders. Stormshadow did like wise, and they trudged their way back to the base.

End


End file.
